Frightened Adopted Cat- Help...

[tarasgirl06]

He seems to be eating ok.. as long as it is not turkey.. but I am not sure about the acne..

G is now not eating much of the shelter dry food.. It is Simply Nourish (I think Duck and turkey) with some of my dry Wellness Herring and tuna mix added...

He was chowing down on it.. I am slowly changing his dry. I could go with either one, but I do not want to introduce novel proteins, unless I have to.

Simply nourish has like a duck and chicken mix, duck and oatmeal, etc... wanting to stay away from the other stuff..

I did try some Purina Pro Plan. I think that may be what caused the really soft poop this morning.. or it could be from the stress of T-day...

For canned, I am staying with the shelter's Simply Nourish, my own Wellness and now a bit of PProPlan..

He does not seem to be a great big fan of Fancy Feast.. weird.

I would love to get him accustomed to a few brands, in case of a recall or a change in recipe. I would have something to fall back on.. but I do not want to stress him out.. so I am doing things slowly.

He is eating ok.. within the past 24 hours, he ate 3 cans of food: 2 Wellness and one ProPlan-during the night.

I am ignoring him. He was a bit better, late last night and this morning.

I opened up a sample can of Dr Estey's Turkey--nope... anything with turkey, he covers it up.. I open up some Wellness Chicken.. he tried covering that up, but then came back for it. I tried mixing a tiny bit of the turkey with it.. nope... so....it is just trial and error.

Geoffrey came out late last night. I ignored him.
He explored.. He jumped on my kitchen counter and was about to jump on top of the refrigerator. I would never get him down. The new cabinets are really high up..

I could see his shadow from the night light which is on the counter. All I did was say: Get down, Get down..with a strong voice. HE jumped down and ran, ears back, to under my bed.

He came out later, when I was going to bed.. again in the bathroom.. He was rubbing my legs. I petted him.. refused the feeling of picking him up.. let him come to me.. G put his left paw on my thigh.. I petted him.. looking away.. he circled around, again, this time placed both paws on my thigh. I petted him, sat back and patting my lap. He did not jump on my lap.

Instead, he jumped on the bathroom counter. He kept looking at me to scold him. I ignored him.. He did not know what to think.. HE was happy and purring.

Went to bed, he was right there, cuddling, purring, kneading.
He is skittish, if I move..

I turned over, with arms out.. He was so funny.. he came over to cuddle, his belly facing me, with his head on my wrist.. for a long time...and fell asleep.

I, on the other hand, could not sleep. I had to watch him.. finally, getting chilly, I had to move.. he walked away, but still cuddled...

Woke me up around 3:30AM-- crying in ear, tapping on shoulder; a couple of times. I ignored him.

When I got up, he followed me around! same routine with bathroom.. I petted him a bit, but not too much. He followed me!! and explored.

We played for a bit.. he explored for a bit.. ate a tiny bit.. always going over to my room and under my bed.. his safe spot..

He was so weird. He followed me into his bathroom, watching me scoop his box.. as if to say..There was a lot in it.. that is why he was waking me...

He watched me scoop, and then took me into the extra room to play...

Yesterday, I took Artie's Scratcher, his quilt, his old toys away.. and I left out a new YEOW, sardine catnip fishy. Artie loved them.. Geoffrey seems to love them also.

One step at a time.. It was a quiet night and a quiet morning--so far, in the building.. Geoffrey is back under my bed...

I have to clean my bathroom today, and do some laundry.. so it may upset him, but I am going to ignore him... let him come out to me..

It sounds like Geoffrey is definitely making progress and learning the patterns of your life. It is good that he is exploring his habitat, too, even if gradually. It's wonderful that he's coming to bed with you! *Even if he does wake you up at dark-thirty*
Hope the cleaning went/is going well. I cleaned the bathrooms, sinks and hard surface floors today, too. My three don't pay any attention to these things -- it's the Big Scary Turquoise Monster they hate and run from but it's soon forgotten when they hear me dis-assembling it to empty the dirt cup and wash the filters.
Wishing you and Geoffrey a GOOD afternoon, evening and night!

 

[artiemom]

Geoffrey....

hiding from me, when in a good mood:

Playing:

 

[FeebysOwner]

Thanks for the pics! Geoffrey looks very intense - he is still studying everything, you can tell!

 

[tarasgirl06]

Geoffrey....
View attachment 263447

View attachment 263446

hiding from me, when in a good mood:
View attachment 263448

Playing:
View attachment 263449

What a CUTE guy Geoffrey is, and yes, intense! This is all so new to him, and he needs to be sure it's okay to let his guard down, even a little. Give him time.

 

[Kflowers]

But I can certainly see why you want to be able to cuddle him!

 

[rubysmama]

Geoffrey is a very handsome boy. Love the dark rings on his tail. I've no doubt that in time, you and he will have a special bond, not the same as, but similar to you and Artie. Geoffrey just has to learn that he's safe now, and has one of the best cat moms he could have asked for.

Keep us posted on his progress.

 

[artiemom]

His tail is so darn cute.. It always has a curl at the tip. The tip quivers when he is interested in something.. so darned cute..

I just want to cuddle him to death...
I went 48 hours without picking him up. I had to do it this morning, while in the bathroom. I wanted to look at his acne.. much worse.. a bit of raw skin.. dam...

I still do not have the heart to take him to the vet this week, as a follow up. I have not gained enough trust from him, to even attempt the chlorohexadine wipes. That would put him over the edge.. trying to get him in the carrier will do the same.. I cannot go back on things and have him shut down.

I gave him a can of Dr Estey's chicken. It was a sample I got.. He ate 1/2 can of it.. wow...

I know it is on sale at Chewy's.. but 2 cases??? I mean, if it is an allergy, would it be worth it? He loves chicken.. hates turkey..

I guess I could order one case of chicken and one case of fish.. if that is appropriate..

I do not want to feed him exclusively chicken.. and just fish.. but... beef is ok..
no turkey for him.. no matter what brand. He covers it up, and refuses it flat out.

He is not a fan of ProPlan.. and absolute no turkey of any kind or brand. He hates it.

I cannot believe this.. The rain has stopped. It is cloudy.. Geoffrey finally jumped on the cat tree!!! only stayed 2 minutes then came down.. He was tempted by it this morning...

Yesterday, he took several trips out, to explore. He did well, until around 7pm, 4 girls ran down the corridor, screaming, sounding like a herd of elephants..
Geoffrey ran under the bed.

He came out just as I was thinking of going to bed.. Gave him fresh food, and said nite-nite...

He jumped into bed, cuddled right up against my tummy.. deciding to take a bath..Do you know how hard it is to sleep with a cat, cuddled up to you, washing himself.. each movement was shaking me and the mattress..
So much for my early bedtime. It went on for an hour!!
He loves to use my wrist as a pillow...

I got awaken early, with a cold wet nose on my cheek, and a cold paw on my shoulder!!!
I ignored it because it was too early.. had to keep myself from physically grinning.

This morning, he has been semi-exploring.

Yes, noises, sudden movements really scare him. Even the heat coming on.. the air from the ducts scare him.

He will be alone, for several hours today.
Mass, a special presentation, then the shelter, for me..

He put 2 paws on my recliner's arm.. I stayed still. He jumped on the arm, putting his front paws on the back of the chair.. wondering if it was safe or not..
Stayed that way for several minutes. I had to move a tiny bit.. He jumped down.. but at least he tried..

He is now back to his safe spot---under my bed, napping... sigh..

LTS3 I was thinking of a behaviorist.. My regular vet also works with one. sigh......
Want to give it a bit more time before I resort to that... thanks...

gotta go...

 

[PushPurrCatPaws]

He sounds like he is doing pretty good!

... Yes, noises, sudden movements really scare him. Even the heat coming on.. the air from the ducts scare him. ...

He just needs to keep learning The Pattern of the Air Ducts, and that that pattern or noise won't hurt or affect him
Essentially, he will become desensitized to it, I think.
artiemom - if I can get Milly to think that all of the trash trucks in my city are her "boyfriends" so that she rushes to the window every time one drives by, maybe you can eventually get Geoffrey to be a calmer kitty too.

 

[Kflowers]

my sister and the dog both jump when the heat goes on. Sis says she's not afraid, just startled.

Cats do startled really well. Hopefully, Geoffrey is just startled.

 

[FeebysOwner]

Hi. As I think I said before in this thread, Feeby will NEVER get over large trucks coming down our street and must go hide every time, for the past 12 years. And, anytime the A/C comes on (her food bowl is very close to a vent) and she is eating, she will stop and stare at the vent for 30- seconds or so and then go back to eating. This is also been going on for the past 12 years. Some things will always of concern to Geoffrey, but probably not to the degree they are now!!

 

[maggiedemi]

if I can get Milly to think that all of the trash trucks in my city are her "boyfriends" so that she rushes to the window every time one drives by

Awesome idea!

 

[tarasgirl06]

artiemom My three love long bathtimes, too! Sometimes one will be on my lap while I'm trying to work, bathing. It's difficult! *Uh-oh, here goes Tarifa as I type!* I'm an insomniac and a very light sleeper as it is, so if someone is bathing in bed, I just figure "Oh well!"
This morning I was looking forward to enjoying my "snooze button time" when Elvis decided he wanted to mount a stalk of Baby Su from the left side of the bed. He jumped up on the head of the bed, and in so doing, knocked over the bedside table, which has a lamp and a phone on it. Stuff went flying everywhere -- pillows, lamp, phone, table. I tried to ignore it but the phone started yelling so I had to get up and go around the Cal King bed to put the phone back. Well, okay, I don't mind getting up at 6:40 a.m. on Sunday, do I?

As for trash trucks, they and The Big Turquoise Monster strike fear and loathing into even big blue cats, who go running for their lives when they hear these and since we have 3 trash trucks every week (rubbish, recyclables, and green waste), he is thoroughly disgusted by late afternoon.

 

[artiemom]

sigh.. found a clump of fur on the floor..
Geoffrey has a patch missing fur, behind his ear... with a scab...

Please dear God, not another one with a Chicken Allergy... and I just ordered a case of chicken from Chewy.. dam

and he is sneezing a bit.. weird..

He stayed under my bed, for 7 hours, while I was out.. No dust, cuz I picked up the mattress, box spring and vacuumed under there, last week... dam

It is dark, lights are dimmed and he is out and about.. my Vampire Cat..

 

[tarasgirl06]

sigh.. found a clump of fur on the floor..
Geoffrey has a patch missing fur, behind his ear... with a scab...

Please dear God, not another one with a Chicken Allergy... and I just ordered a case of chicken from Chewy.. dam

and he is sneezing a bit.. weird..

He stayed under my bed, for 7 hours, while I was out.. No dust, cuz I picked up the mattress, box spring and vacuumed under there, last week... dam

It is dark, lights are dimmed and he is out and about.. my Vampire Cat..

Oh, gosh, I hope not too, Cindy! That's ALL you and Geoffrey (DO NOT) need!
Glad to hear he's roaming the savannah now, though -- your little Lion Kinglet...

 

[FeebysOwner]

Oh no. I hope it's not a chicken allergy, but something is certainly causing him to scratch at his ear - enough to scratch away fur and create a scab. Not sure if sneezing would be related to a food allergy. Could he have seasonal allergies that might cause both? You could try to talk to the vet about Benadryl??

You said before, didn't you, that he seemed to be leery of brightness? To me, that is a sign of feral-like tendencies, which as time passes and he gets more used to things will more than likely significantly reduce. I think you have a fairly sensitive cat, but that's OK - he already made great strides.

 

[tarasgirl06]

He's just so adorable, Cindy!

 

[LTS3]

You said before, didn't you, that he seemed to be leery of brightness? To me, that is a sign of feral-like tendencies

As someone mentioned earlier, there is likely more to Geoffrey's story than the original owner shared with the rescue / shelter.

Would reiki help settle Geoffrey down?

 

[artiemom]

As someone mentioned earlier, there is likely more to Geoffrey's story than the original owner shared with the rescue / shelter.

I just e-mailed the adoption person, who is also a rescue. He handled Geoffrey. I doubt if he will be helpful; but worth a shot.

Call in to Reg Vet.. dam.. at this point, I wish Angell was closer.. dam..

Would reiki help settle Geoffrey down?

Margret has sent some to him.. she also sent me instructions for it, but I do not think I will be a good person to learn how to do it.. sigh...

 

[Tobermory]

How is Geoffrey doing, artiemom ? And you?

 

[LTS3]

There's an update here: The "what's On Your Mind?" Thread -2018